2012 Range Rover Evoque 5-Door

Compact All-Terrain Luxury Rover

In
short:A sporty and stylish luxury off-roading 5-door SUV.

Range Rover Evoque 5-Door Review

Featuring dramatic, sweeping lines and a small, city-friendly size, the Range Rover Evoque 5-Door is both versatile and visually appealing. And while this capable vehicle may lack the heft of its larger siblings, the Evoque is no less adept in the rough stuff, with permanent intelligent all-wheel drive and Land Rover's advanced Terrain Response System providing premium assistance for all types of road conditions.

Weighing 1,600 pounds less than any of its stable mates, the Evoque is a much more compact — and eco-friendly — take on Land Rover's classic off-road vehicle. In an attempt to meet the government's more stringent fuel economy standards, Land Rover has cut weight and cleaned up its act, delivering a decent 28 mpg highway. The Evoque displays its environmentally friendly outlook in other ways, as well, including the prominent usage of recycled materials. In fact, Land Rover boasts that its latest creation contains the equivalent of 1,000 recycled plastic bottles — quite an achievement when one considers the English brand's petrol-guzzling past.

However, while Land Rover may have gone green with the Evoque, it certainly hasn't retreated to the blacktop. Like the rest of the automaker's lineup, this compact crossover exhibits an enormous amount of versatility off-road. The Evoque is happy in snow, sand, gravel and more thanks to an intelligent system that always knows with which sort of power to govern each wheel. Feel like going for a dip? This Range Rover also has no problem wading with its 25-degree water-entry capability. Back on the highway, the Evoque shows some serious athleticism, with its 2-liter, 240-horsepower inline-4 boosting it from 0-60 in around 7 seconds.

Inside, Land Rover has taken pains to transport its passengers out of the wilderness and into a luxury suite. Along with other sumptuous offerings, Range Rover has partnered with Meridian Audio for a high-tech 380-watt, eleven-speaker sound system that is sure to provide the perfect soundtrack to any off-road excursion. Of course, true audiophiles may wish to upgrade to Meridian's premium 825-watt, 17-speaker surround sound. In back, rear passengers benefit from the Evoque's huge standard panoramic sunroof, which gives the illusion of more space in the somewhat more compact quarters.

Packing an enviable amount of features into its compact package, the Range Rover Evoque 5-Door makes for an attractive option — if you can afford its considerable price, that is. However, while the Evoque may cost more than similar models, it is a rather intelligent ride that delivers lots of road-going safety in a luxurious package.

Land
Rover Experience
Driving SchoolExperience
these iconic off-road vehicles in the environment they
were built for and learn how to properly drive them
there. There are three schools in North America, including
one at Quail Lodge in California.